Electric vehicles

A new generation of cars is coming, and the City of Adelaide is ready.

Electric vehicles (EVs) create less air and noise pollution, and when powered by renewable energy, produce less climate altering greenhouse gases. As the proportion of South Australia’s electricity generation from renewable sources increases, driving electric vehicles will mean households and businesses can contribute to a cleaner, greener city.

The City of Adelaide is ready for this emerging technology, and has a growing network of public electric vehicle (EV) charging stations.

Electric vehicle charging stations

The City of Adelaide has a total of 42 electric vehicle charging stations located across the city and North Adelaide.

On-street charging stations

There are on-street electric vehicle charging points located across the city and North Adelaide available for public use.

Yes, all models on sale and planned for sale in Australia as at May 2019 are compatible with the City of Adelaide’s stations. The Tesla chargers at the EV Charging Hub are only compatible with Tesla vehicles.

In 2017 international electric vehicle sales increased by 57 per cent. There are now over 4 million EVs on the road. Today, 1 million EVs are sold every six months. Many businesses are choosing electric vehicles for their fleets.

Recognising this global trend, the City of Adelaide has invested in charging stations to position Adelaide as a hub for electric vehicles and ensure that tourists and South Australian regional communities have access to EV charging services when they visit the city.

Electric vehicles also provide better outcomes for residents, the economy and local business, create investment opportunities, and increase the liveability of our city whilst decreasing carbon emissions.

Traditional combustion engine cars create greenhouse gas emissions at the tailpipe, because they use oil for fuel. Electricity is also responsible greenhouse gas emissions when it is generated by burning coal.

In 2017, 49 per cent of the electricity generated in South Australia was from wind and solar power. The means that the carbon emissions associated with driving an electric vehicle in South Australia are already lower than a petrol or diesel car. The Australian Energy Market Operator has forecast that by 2020-2021, 73 per cent of South Australian electricity generation will be from renewable sources, which will reduce emissions associated with electricity further.

Emissions can be further reduced by powering charging stations from rooftop solar systems. At present, there are 50kW solar systems on UPark Rundle St, UPark Central Market and Upark Grote Street. The City of Adelaide is currently delivering a project that will see another 800 kW of solar power installed on our other facilities, including two carparks.

Approximately one thousand electric vehicles were sold in SA between 2011-2017. Nationally, sales have been growing sharply, with a 67 per cent increase in EV sales from 2016-2017 (Source: The State of Electric Vehicles in Australia, 2018, ClimateWorks Australia).

New models of Nissan, Audi and Tesla are due for release in the coming year, and the City of Adelaide is prepared for the steep growth in demand.